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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24363598">The Tale of a Tail</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitcaliber/pseuds/kitcaliber'>kitcaliber</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Overwatch (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, OC/Canon, mermaid au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 06:49:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,148</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24363598</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitcaliber/pseuds/kitcaliber</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Doctor Siebren de Kuiper is an astrophysicist with more than a passing interest in mermaids. When one washes up on the nearby beach, it's up to him to save her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sigma | Siebren de Kuiper/Original Female Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Tale of a Tail</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Doctor Siebren de Kuiper looked up from his work and grabbed his cell phone off the desk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello, you’ve reached—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Doctor Siebren, you’ve got to come quick! There’s a mermaid on the beach and she’s hurt pretty bad!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The statement set alarm bells to ringing in his head - mermaids were incredibly rare creatures; in all his years of study, he’d never actually seen one. He glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall - no, it wasn’t April 1st.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m on my way.” He hung up the call and stuffed the phone into his pocket, standing up and rushing towards the door. He grabbed a small backpack on his way out - his kit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He arrived at the beach a few minutes later, and a small crowd was gathered around a figure laying in the sand. He pushed and elbowed his way through the people, uttering “excuse me” over and over again. Once he’d gotten to the forefront of the scene, he stopped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, people, back up,” he barked, and the crowd surprisingly obeyed. He dropped his backpack into the wet sand and knelt down next to the mermaid. She lay face down, her long red hair fanned out around her. Her tail was a striking iridescent blue-green...with a fairly large gash in it, exposing the soft flesh beneath the scales.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He placed his hands on either side of the wound and pulled it open slightly, examining the inside for any debris. She didn’t move at all, which alarmed him greatly; surely such an act should have caused her pain. Was she dead?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who’s the one who called me?” He called out to the crowd.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am,” said a voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come here, I need help. Get on her other side and roll her onto her side so she’s facing me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, doctor!” The voice responded, eager to help. They scurried to the other side of the poor creature and did as they were told.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor grasped her arm, pressing two fingers to her wrist. He sighed in relief - there was a pulse, albeit weak. “She’s still alive,” he announced. Looking her over, he noticed several smaller cuts and scrapes on her human half. Those would need to be taken care of, but first, her tail needed to be sewn shut. He turned his attention back to his assistant. “Lay her back down the way she was. That gash needs to be sutured.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without a word, they lay her back down, and the doctor reached into his backpack, pulling out several items.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He started by pulling on a pair of latex gloves. Next, he took a bottle of saline solution and generously sprayed the wound with it to cleanse it, washing out the seawater and sand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then it was suture time. He picked up a small box - a suture kit, generally made for human use, but it would likely service this mermaid just fine. He extracted its contents and set to work, quickly threading the curved needle. “I need you to gently push the sides of the wound together. Can you do that for me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh-huh,” his assistant replied. They placed their hands on either side of the wound and pushed it together, almost closing it. “Like this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perfect,” the doctor replied. He aimed for the middle of the cut and, working quickly, placed a stitch, skillfully tying it shut with three knots.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He repeated the process about a dozen times, and the wound slowly closed. “Alright, you can let go now. Thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The assistant let go, and as the doctor placed the final stitches, the mermaid began to stir, letting out a pitiful moan in pain. He quickly finished up what he was doing and set the suture kit aside. “Hey there, it’s gonna be okay,” he said to her quietly. “Can you hear me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Taaaail…!” She howled. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked behind her, at her tail - and much to her surprise, the wound was sewn shut. It didn’t stop the pain, however, and she let out a wail of agony, tears flowing down her cheeks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, hey, calm down, I have something that might help.” He reached into his backpack once more and pulled out a capped syringe, full of a clear liquid. “Please, stay still for me.” He pulled the cap off the syringe and carefully stuck it into her, close to the edge of the wound, and injected a small amount of the liquid into the area. He did this several times down each side of the wound. “I know it won’t help beneath the first few layers of tissue, but it should help at least a little bit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What...is that?” She asked, her lip trembling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Numbing solution,” he replied, putting the cap back on the syringe. “In hindsight, I should have done that before putting in the stitches, but you weren’t awake to feel it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was too upset to reply, and flopped herself back down into the sand, giving great heaving breaths as she tried not to sob. The sight of it broke the doctor’s heart.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned around to the crowd. “Alright, there’s nothing else to see here. Go on, scatter!” Accordingly, the crowd dispersed, people turning and leaving, chattering amongst themselves about the rare sight they got to see.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor turned back to his assistant. “I think I can handle it from here. Thank you for all your help.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re very welcome,” they replied with a smile, getting up and walking away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor turned his attention back to the distraught mermaid lying in the sand. “We can’t stay here. You’ll attract another crowd, and you don’t need that while you’re healing. There’s a cave nearby, can I take you there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She lifted her head and sniffled. “Uh-huh.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He packed his backpack back up and slung it over his shoulder before reaching down. He rolled her onto her side, then onto her back; it was then that he noticed her breasts were exposed. He blushed and averted his eyes, even though he knew mermaids don’t have the same societal issues with exposure. He slid his arms beneath her and picked her up in a bridal carry. He silently thanked his lucky stars he worked out - she was on the chubby side of things, clearly she ate well or was well taken care of; either way, it was nothing he couldn’t handle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He carried her away, to the nearby cave, not even minding when he had to wade through the water to enter. He lay her down near the entrance, in the wet sand, and knelt down next to her. “Now, let’s get these smaller wounds patched up, shall we?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you doing this for me?” She asked, voice small and weak.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because, to be honest, I can’t simply sit by and let such a rare and beautiful creature fade away.” He unpacked his backpack again and took off his gloves, reaching for the saline solution. “Just lay back and relax. I’ll have these bandaged in no time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sure enough, it didn’t take him very long to cleanse the wounds and apply bandages to them. He sat back, looking her over one more time to make sure he’d gotten all of them. “There. All set.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sniffled again, and her tail fins flopped around a bit in the water lapping at the shore. “It hurts…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, and I’m sorry. But I’ve done everything I can for now. Maybe later I’ll come back with some painkillers. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> those should work on you, anyway…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who are you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Doctor Siebren de Kuiper, astrophysicist and mermaid enthusiast, at your service. You can just call me Siebren. What’s your name, my dear?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anya.” For the first time, her gaze met his, and he noticed her beautiful green eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A beautiful name for a beautiful creature.” He smiled at her, and her eyes darted off to the side. “What...happened to you? Can you tell me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, that’s alright.” He knew better than to pry. Maybe someday she’d feel like opening up to him, but for now he knew to drop it. “Is it alright if I stay here with you, or would you rather I left you alone?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, please don’t!” She cried, suddenly looking desperate. “Don’t leave me alone…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes widened at her plea. Something really traumatic must have happened to her. “Okay, it’s okay, I’ll stay as long as I can. I will have to go home eventually, though, but I’ll be back early tomorrow, I promise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sniffled again and began to cry for real. She sat up and started to sob into her hands. She was in pain, and she couldn’t go home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let it out, Anya. You’re safe here. As long as I can, I’ll personally make sure you stay far out of harm’s way.” He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So she cried and cried, even leaning in and placing her head against his shoulder. He placed a hand on the side of her head, holding her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, she sniffled and wiped at her eyes, sitting back up. “You promise? You won’t hurt me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t. I promise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Time slowly passed, and the sunset was visible from the cave entrance. They sat and watched it together; Siebren wrapped an arm around Anya’s shoulders, and she leaned in, resting against his side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve never seen the sunset like this before,” she said quietly. “I’ve only ever seen it from below the surface…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m glad to be able to share this with you, then,” he replied with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His smile, however, faded with the sun. “I have to leave soon,” he said sadly, “will you be alright overnight?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked out over the water with fear in her eyes. “I guess so…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I will be back tomorrow morning, I promise.” He got up and began to walk away. “Good night, Anya.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good night, Siebren.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She lay down in the sand and wiggled around a bit, creating a bit of a nest for herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She slept poorly, the pain in her tail woke her frequently; she tossed and turned - this was nothing like her bed at home. She missed her home, but she knew she couldn’t go back. Not after what happened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She lay in the sand, tired yet restless at the same time, and her stomach growled. She sat up and placed a hand over her belly - there was no way she could hunt, not in her condition. Her tail was held together with string and hope, and the pain was unreal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was about to cry again when she heard footsteps in the water at the cave’s entrance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning, Anya,” a familiar voice announced. Her head whipped towards it and she sat up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning, Siebren.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you hungry? I brought food,” he said, holding up a large cooler. “I didn’t know what to bring, but I know mermaids can eat pretty much anything regular humans can. I just hope you like what I brought.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sighed with relief and a small smile appeared on her face. “What did you bring?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Some sandwiches, chips, and cookies.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What...are those?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled as he sat down next to her and opened up the cooler to demonstrate as he explained. She watched with rapt attention as he spoke, explaining things like “bread” and “potatoes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you have any questions?” He asked after he’d finished.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure I can eat these things?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He chuckled. “I’m fairly sure, at least. I know mermaid digestive systems are nearly identical to humans’, so you should be able to digest it. Here, try it,” he said, holding out a sandwich to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took it with both hands and bit with her sharp teeth, chewing with a thoughtful expression on before swallowing. “Hm, interesting…” she mused, taking another bite.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A second bite! I’ll take that as a good thing,” he said with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you going to eat?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I ate breakfast at home. I’ll eat at lunch.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, okay.” She returned her attention to her sandwich, and before long, it was gone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How was it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good!” She replied with a smile. “I’m glad you thought to bring food...I can’t hunt like this, so…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, I told you I’d take care of you, didn’t I?” He gently nudged her upper arm with his elbow. “That includes feeding you. Oh, by the way, are you still in pain?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh-huh,” she said with a couple of nods, her tail fins flopping around a bit in the water lapping at the shore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here, I brought you something. Do you know how to take a pill?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, good, I wasn’t sure. Here,” he said, rummaging through the backpack he’d also brought, pulling out a water bottle and a small pill bottle. He opened the pill bottle and shook two out into his hand before putting the cap back on and handing the pills over with the water bottle. “These are painkillers. They should help.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took the pills and water bottle, looking a bit confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Put the pills in your mouth and take a drink from the water bottle. You’ll be able to swallow the pills easier,” he explained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ohhh...underwater, we just have to...well...swallow them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave a small chuckle. “I thought so. Go ahead, they’ll help, I promise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She did as instructed, putting the pills in her mouth and taking a drink from the bottle before swallowing. “How long until it helps?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“About an hour, maybe a little less.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” she said, curling back up in the sand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” He asked, concern evident in his voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not really,” she replied with a yawn. “It was hard to sleep last night, I’m still very tired…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry. Do you want to nap? I’ll be right here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll try, but I don’t know if I can until those ‘pain-killers’ help.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, go ahead and try. I’ll be right here,” he said, pulling a book out of his backpack and beginning to read.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the day went by quickly, and before long, it was time for Siebren to leave again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will you be okay tonight?” He asked, packing up his things.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded. “I think so. You’ll be back tomorrow, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course,” he replied, patting her on top of her head. “Good night, Anya. Rest well.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good night, Siebren. You too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few more days passed by, with Siebren visiting Anya every day, spending time with her. But he knew that the time to remove her stitches was coming quickly. He was examining the wound every day, and it was healing nicely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then the day came.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anya, I think your stitches can finally come out. You can go home,” he announced with a sad smile, pulling supplies out of his backpack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked up at him. “No, I can’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked confused. “What do you mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t go home. Not after what happened.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That’s right - she never did tell him what happened to her to cause her injuries. “What happened, Anya?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sighed. It’d been almost a week that he’d spent with her. Maybe he could be trusted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I...I got into a fight with my ex-boyfriend. He wanted to get back together, but I didn’t want to - he was abusive, and I know better now. But he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Eventually he got physical, and...pushed me into the path of an oncoming boat. The propeller is what tore my tail open.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His mouth opened, jaw dropping slightly. “I’m so sorry, Anya, I had no idea…” He said quietly, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. “So that’s why you can’t go home?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded, tears coming to her eyes. “I can’t see him again. I’d be in danger. He’ll kill me next time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you going to do, then?” He asked, snipping the first stitch and pulling it out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess I’ll just...find a new clan, see if someone will take me in. Or I could live by myself,” she replied. “I’ll be fine. I just...I don’t want to leave,” she said quietly. “I’ll miss you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll miss you too,” he said, working diligently.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the last stitch came out, she wiggled her tail, flopping it around a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well...I don’t have to leave,” she said, looking up at him. “I can stay, if you’ll have me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He began to reply as he packed up his supplies. “I don’t know, I’d have to have a special enclosure built, and I don’t know if I have the room for—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He watched, jaw nearly on the sand as her scales slowly transformed into skin, starting from the waist and working down. Her tail split in two, transforming into legs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked indistinguishable from a human.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I—well—that—what?” He stuttered, completely confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t know?” She asked him, tilting her head. “I thought you said you studied mermaids.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I do! But...this has never shown up in my studies, not once!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s alright. Mermaid magic is a closely guarded secret.” She giggled and tried to stand up, though her legs were shaky. She nearly fell down, and he shot up from his seat to steady her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Easy, easy, take it easy…” he said, holding onto her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m okay,” she replied, smiling up at him. He was about a foot and a half taller than her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure you want to come with me? I...I’d feel bad, taking you away from your natural habitat, and you have so much to learn about the human world…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure. I can’t go home, remember? Plus...I really like you,” she said, blushing and looking away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m glad you feel that way, because I really like you too,” he replied softly, smiling. “But first things first...you need clothes,” he said, picking up his towel off the ground and shaking it out. “This’ll do for now, but we need to pick up something at the store on the way home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because humans can’t walk around naked. Our society doesn’t allow it. You need to cover yourself. Now, hold your arms out to the sides so I can wrap this around you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She held her arms out, and he wrapped the beach towel around her, tying it shut at the top. “Yeah, that’ll do for all of five minutes. Come on, there’s a nice little store near the beach that sells sundresses, one of those would look very nice on you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He slung his backpack over his shoulder and held out his hand to her. She took it, smiling wide.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They exited the cave together, hand in hand, entering into the sunlight of a brand new world.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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